An EV Run to Canberra is being proposed. It should be an exciting event for AEVA members to get some reputation for AEVA, support the cause and help raise public awareness.

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This run will be for the 2009 AGM which is to be in ACT for October 2009. EVs should have a minimum range of 100kms to say 80% of battery capacity. Each EV should also be fitted with a range extending generator/alternator.
Each branch will be responsible for its own EV breakdown arrangement inc emergency charging and to provide charging facilities at approx 100k intervals. We should be able to do 300kms per day. Sydney folk might be able to do the trip in one day. Melbourne folk 2-3 days. Adelaide 4-5 days. Perth- use your Long Service Leave. Suggestions for defacto charging- schools (in return for a presentation), police stations, fire stations, garages (consorting with the enemy), motels & camping grounds for overnight full charging. Suggest approaching Chambers of Commerce in selected towns.

Ill never do this again after I jack knifed the Melb branch tandem trailer and nearly wrote off my car. Kevin W did the same & did write off his car. The EV doesnt like being towed. It wants to be the boss.
David S

when i went to kenards to borrow a car trailer to move my prelude wreck, they wouldnt let me take it without written documentation that my uncles landcruisers tow ball (which had its own suspension) was rated to 1500kg.
they really werent kidding it seems.

TIC for a moment...
You can also look at it from many points of view..
Not as far as Sydney (too much trafic), not to the deep south of Melbourne (still winter there), still bypassing Adelaide (as usual), no climbing up to Brisbane (prefer the gold coast).
Even interesing enough to attract someone to come from Rockhampton to Canberra. You'd need a good reason to do that ! Mind you, downhill most of the way.

Transport your EV by train / truck / trailer and drive it in Canberra is fine if you don't plan on the k's.

Matt,
BTW, a landrover discovery tow bar / ball is a factory item and rated to 3500kg for braked trailer, stamped as such and DPI approved. I have often had that much on it without concern. It is definitely in a different league to your average vehicle. Just don't worry yourself about the fuel consumption !

thats a curiosity....why would a stationary diesel generator be turbo charged?
unless it is intended for continuous operation at 0 boost, then maybe 50% overload at 7psi boost for a bit.
seems a bit pointless otherwise.

antiscab wrote: thats a curiosity....why would a stationary diesel generator be turbo charged?
unless it is intended for continuous operation at 0 boost, then maybe 50% overload at 7psi boost for a bit.
seems a bit pointless otherwise.

Matt

It's a diesel, it'll do that all year long. You could definately hear the turbo spooling after sunset when all the lights came on Made an awesome sound! Judging by the generator KW meters, they would have been around 400-500 KW diesel engines.

Gen sets generally run at 1500RPM with 4 pole alternators for 50Hz.
This is at a good torque position for most diesel motors but not usually best power (higher revs) so turbo them to get extra torque so you get more power at the lower revs. Very different to many turbos that are chasing more power at higher revs.

Matt,
Just tow the AC EV for a few hours behind a friendly truck and recharge the batteries with regen, no need for power point !
From the EV's point of view, this is very efficient.

Last edited by acmotor on Sun, 09 Nov 2008, 19:58, edited 1 time in total.

haha, yup thats one way to increase range.
im having a chat with a contact of mine at horizon power, trying to get a map that differentiates between SWIS grid connected towns, coal fired, gas fired, wind diesel, normal diesel, PV diesel towns.

For the original Melb to Syd EV run, canceled due to lack of numbers, We had intended having our own silenced gen set able to charge about 4-5 evs at the same time. So need about 15-20kVA. This would have been mounted on the Melb branch tandem trailer (the same one that maimed my car & destroyed KW's) that we would have used to rescue "flat" or shagged EVs.
We would have used biodiesel if we could get it. Its probably not a good thing to be seen doing such a thing. Your own backup might be better. Need about 10kVA for a small car-Im going to use a 400CC one cylinder Robins Diesel running at 3000RPM (ear muffs) driving a PM alternator.
Regards
David

That is the unfortunate reality of home made EVs at present.
They are fine around town but country range is an issue.

It has to be said yet again that if the vested oil and automotive interests (mostly US) had not blocked develeopment of EVs and batteries then we would not be in this situation now !
People still deny this fact and call it conspiracy theory. But then those same people probably still think somking doesn't cause lung cancer !

The point of the cruise, however hard it is to make it happen, is to enjoy at least a sample of what should have been years ago.